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Tuesday, February 5, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Govt to
redeploy Health staff Development
in 4 towns hit Virbhadra
lashes out at Dhumal Wine-making
units for Shimla, Mandi |
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Telecom
equipment worth crores gutted Students’ protest continues, management stays firm Chinese
offer ‘not genuine’ HP
constitutes women’s council Fill
posts, demand Himachal CDPOs 4 killed
as truck falls into gorge 4 die
of asphyxia Panel
for disabled constituted Anita
Tegta is Art & Culture Dept chief
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Govt to redeploy Health staff Shimla, February 4 Unable to provide requisite staff for a host of institutions opened over the years without assessing the requirement with an eye on elections, the fund-starved government has decided to redeploy the available manpower for its optimum utilisation. After the implementation of the new staff norms, already notified by the department, 143 out of the total 304 primary health centres will be downgraded to the level of civil dispensaries and 32 out of the total 65 community health centres to the level of primary health centres. The existing 155 dispensaries and 143 downgraded PHCs will be renamed as PHC-1. Similarly, the remaining 161 PHCs and 32 downgraded CHCs will be renamed as CHC-1.Thus, the state will have 298 PHCs-I, 193 PHCs-II and 33 CHCs. A PHC-I will have a staff strength of only four as against the existing nine. There will be a single doctor, instead of the existing two, a pharmacist and a class IV. There will be no laboratory technician, ward sister and staff nurse, clerk or driver. Similarly, the downgraded CHCs will have a staff of only nine against the existing 25. The number of doctors will be reduced from four to two, pharmacists from two to one, staff nurses from four to one, class IV employees from five to one and sweepers from three to one. The new staff norms have been finalised after taking the workload into account. The PHCs which had no indoor patients and less than 50 outdoor patients on an average have been downgraded into PHC-I. In fact, the average number of patients on the basis of 260 working days in a year was more than 50 only in 69 PHCs. It rose to 99 when number of working days was reduced to 200. A study conducted by the department also revealed that there were no indoor patients and no laboratory examinations were taking place and as such there was no need for posting staff nurses and laboratory technicians in these PHCs. The CHCs which had less than 50 per cent of bed occupancy, have been downgraded and the strength of staff has been reduced proportionately. The exercise will help spare at least 200 staff nurses for deployment in hospitals. Besides, the requirement of general duty doctors will also be met and department will have to recruit only medical specialists. With the government all set to enforce the new norms, a major shake-up in the Health Department is on cards over the next fortnight. The move is, however, likely to evoke strong reaction from doctors and paramedical staff and can also have political ramifications. |
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Development
in 4 towns hit Kulu Mr Satya Prakash Thakur, a former minister and spokesperson of the District Congress Committee here, said the local bodies had not been given compensatory grant in lieu of the revenue loss due to the withdrawal of toll tax despite repeated demands by the bodies. The urban bodies have been getting grants from the Union and state governments for various development activities which now have been heavily curtailed. The Municipal Committees and Nagar Panchayats do not have adequate funds to meet establishment expenses not to speak of those on development work, said a senior civic body employee. As much as 80 per cent of the income of all local bodies was spent on the salaries of the employees, he added. The Municipal Committee at the district headquarters here had a BJP majority but due to party infighting, the political equations have changed. The chairman is now from the BJP and the vice-chairman from the Congress. This alliance was forged to end the “domination” of senior BJP leaders, including the MP and the Minister in the state Cabinet from this district. This has led to move financial difficulties for the civic body. One year has passed and the residents are yet to witness development activity in the town. The town does not have a children’s park, an indoor games facility or a municipal library. The condition of streets in the municipal area is poor. The musical fountain built by the Department of Tourism could not be operated as the local body is not in a position to pay the power and water bills. The Manali Nagar Panchayat, where the BJP has majority support, has also proved to be inefficient. Poor sanitation, damaged streets and haphazard construction mar the beauty of the town. It is learnt that Rs 3.5 crore had been sanctioned by the Union Government for the Manali bypass, a parking facility, an assembly ground and the channelling of the Beas. However, nothing concrete has been done in this regard. Nagar Panchayat sources allege that the state government has diverted the funds allocated for Manali for other purposes. Manali was given only Rs 42 lakh from other funds to construct a parking facility near the fire station. The Bhuntar Nagar Panchayat is again a victim of neglect. As the Congress has a majority in it, the body has to face many hurdles. Councillors complain that undue delay hampers the execution of plans and projects. The transfer of land to develop a market complex at the bus stand at Bhuntar has been unnecessarily delayed due to administrative reasons. The condition of roads is bad and sanitation needs to be improved. Members of the Nagar Panchayat have demanded that the government should frame a policy on the funding of local bodies after determining whether these were developed or underdeveloped. Bhuntar is the gateway to the Kulu-Manali area with its old airfield, being used commercially since 1959. The Banjar Nagar Panchayat does not have a chairperson as the seat has been reserved for members of the Scheduled Castes. The only Scheduled Castes member belongs to the Congress and there is no one to second her candidature for the post of chairperson. Hence, the vice-chairman has been running the local body for the past one year. This township, too, has remained undeveloped. Although a few plans, including the construction of a bus stand, a college building and a market yard, have been drawn up, these are yet to be implemented. Poor sanitation, inadequate number of streetlights and the lack of proper streets makes the town look like a backward village. |
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Virbhadra
lashes out at Dhumal Palampur, February 4 Referring to the case relating to 1,629 bigha of land, he said since he was also the ruler of Rampur Bushar state, this land was passed to him in settlement of state dispute at the time of merger of states in 1947. He said all records to this effect were available with him and the government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr Virbhadra Singh expressed concern over the action of Deputy Commissioner, Shimla who had filed a case in a revenue court allegedly without proper verification. |
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Wine-making units for Shimla, Mandi Chamba, February 4 Disclosing to this correspondent here today, Mr Narinder Bragata, Horticulture Minister, said these factories would manufacture cider, pear wine and other qualities of drinks with the active participation of fruit-growers and farmers of the state. The minister said these large-scale factories were being set up in collaboration with the indigenous enterprises. He said the work on these factories was well underway. The minister said to accelerate the development in the field of horticulture, the state government was spending Rs 29 crore during this year out of which Rs 2.22 crore had been earmarked for Chamba district. The minister said diversification of plants had been given much importance in view of the diverse soil and climate in the state. The minister stated that to boost quality production in horticulture, a macro-management in horticulture supplementation and complementation through work plan had been launched costing Rs 5.20 lakh. He said the plan envisaged to provide 30 to 50 per cent subsidy to fruit-growers and farmers. Under the plan, thrust had been given to maintain and revive traditional horticulture too, the minister added. The minister said a horticulture regional research station at Bhota in Hamirpur district had been established. The Himachal Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, had inaugurated the station. A Rs 60-lakh laboratory had been set up at Shimla by the government to generate predator insects that killed and ate insects which damaged the fruit crops. The building was almost complete and machinery was being installed. Likewise, the plant health clinics at Dharamsala and Shimla were also ready and machinery was being installed. The minister said a kisan bhavan constructed in New Delhi had already been put into use. |
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Telecom
equipment worth crores gutted Solan, February 4 The fire was detected at about 2 pm when the employee notice smoke emanating from a corner of the testing section of the plant. It took three fire tenders of the local fire station two hours to control the flames. The local MLA, Dr Rajiv Bindal, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr K. Sunjay Murthy, and the SP, Mr S.Z.H. Zaidi, helped organise fire-fighting operations. Inquiries made by this correspondent revealed that telecom equipment worth over Rs 4 crore was completely gutted. Mr D.P. Gupta, Vice-President, of the company, said efforts were being made to start the testing section in some alternative place on a temporary basis. A case has been registered in this connection. |
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Students’ protest continues, management stays firm Nalagarh, February 4 In a press note issued here, the students alleged that the college, which had admitted students as per the counselling conducted by Himachal Pradesh University for admission to various private colleges in the state, had charged 10 per cent of the total fee from the students at the time of admission. This fee was deposited with the staff of the college on the assurance that the said sum would be adjusted in their college fee at the time of the final payment. The teachers representing the college present at the university had also given a similar assurance to the students then. But now, when the final fee payment was displayed by the college, it not only included the fee of Rs 1000, which was already paid by the students in the form of building development fee, but the fee structure also different from the one displayed by the university in the prospectus. The attempts of the students to chalk out an amicable solution by talking to the management proved futile when the latter refused to hold any discussion with the students. The students submitted a memorandum of their demands to the Subdivisional Magistrate, besides representing the case to the Chief Minister, the Governor and the Education Secretary. Pledging to continue to strike till the college announced a rollback, the students sought the help of other students organisations in the state and decided to begin a hunger strike. A rally was also taken out by the students on Saturday, in which they raised slogans against the college management as well as the university, which they alleged paid no heed to their complaint. The Principal of the college could not be contacted for comment. |
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Chinese
offer ‘not genuine’ Dharamsala, February 4 Reacting to the latest Chinese offer to the Dalai Lama, to return to Tibet, the officiating secretary in the Department of Information and International Relations, Mr Sonam Dagpo, said this was merely a repetition of the old Chinese rhetoric with attached pre-conditions. The pre-conditions laid down by China, including accepting Tibet as part of China and Taiwan as its province, were just not acceptable, since Tibet had always been an independent nation till China occupied it forcibly. “The Dalai Lama firmly believes that one cannot change history and moreover instead of talking about the past we must look towards the future and resolve the issue amicably,” he stated. Mr Dagpo said the latest offer by China, was just a repetition of such overtures made every time some dignitary visited Beijing or there was a resolution on Tibet at the United Nations Human Rights Commission. “Release of the Tibetan musician, Ngawang Choepel, after six years and the latest offer to the Dalai Lama is part of the Chinese ploy to show to the world that they are serious to resolve the issue,” added Mr Dagpo. He said all these offers by China were coming at a time when the US President, Mr George Bush, was scheduled to visit Beijing and he was learnt to be under pressure from supporters of the Tibetan cause to discuss the matter with the Chinese leadership. Mr Dagpo said the Dalai Lama was heading a non violent freedom struggle in which he had already agreed for a genuine autonomy and not complete independence. The Chinese pre-condition that he must give up these “splittist” activities was in no way acceptable to the Tiebtans, he
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HP constitutes women’s council Shimla, February 4 The 17-member council headed by the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, will have Mr Mansa Ram, Welfare Minister, as its Vice-Chairman. The Chairperson, State Women Advisory Board, and the Chairperson, State Women Commission, will be its non-officials. The other members of the council will be the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Financial Commissioner-cum-secretary (LEP), Financial Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Finance), Financial Commi-ssioner-cum-Secretary (Agriculture and Horticulture), Financial Comm-issioner-cum-secretary (Revenue), Financial Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Welfare), Commi-ssioner-cum-Secretary (Education), Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Rural Development), Comm-issioner-cum-Secretary (Industries), Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Health) and Secretary (Planning) Director, Social and Women Welfare will be the member-secretary of the council. The council will also have Ms Kanta Goyal, Ms Sheela Joshi, Ms Veena Shrivastave, Ms Nirmla Devi and Ms Indu Verma as its non-official members. Ms Rama Chauhan and Ms Sonia Thakur will represent the NGOs as non-official members in the council, Ms Bimla Kashyap, will be the representative of financial institution whereas Prof Krishana Sharma, and Ms Krishana Kanta Chauhan will also be the ex-officio members of the council and represent experts in the council. |
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Fill posts, demand Himachal CDPOs Shimla, February 4 The association demanded annual increment for Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) on ad hoc basis and inclusion of CDPOs as feeder category for HAS, regularisation of ad hoc promotions, filling of posts of Joint, Deputy and Assistant Director from among District Project Officers, creation of posts of DPOs at Bilaspur, Kulu and Una, Class-I status to CDPOs and redesignation of the post of District Programme Officer as Deputy Director, ICDS. |
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4 killed as truck falls into gorge Chamba, February 4 Giving this information here today, Mr ND Sharma, Additional Superintendent of Police, said the vehicle was on its way from the town to Masroond. A person died on the spot while three others succumbed to their injuries on way to the Zonal
Hospital. The deceased had been identified as Prem Lal, Chander Bahadur, Ramesh Chand and Lekh Raj, he added. He said Parmod Kumar was admitted to the hospital who was stated to be in serious condition. All five occupants belonged to the Jadera area of the district. A case has been registered. |
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4 die of asphyxia Shimla, February 4 According to information reaching here, the family left the coal fire burning while going to sleep. The poisonous carbon monoxide gas suffocated all four members to death. |
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Panel for disabled constituted Shimla, February 4 The sub-committee headed by the Chief Secretary will have nine other members. The Director, Welfare, will be its member secretary. The other members of the committee are — Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Secretary (LEP), Financial Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Finance), Financial Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Welfare), Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Education), Commissioner-cum-Secretary
(PWD), Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Transport), Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Rural Development), Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Urban Development) and Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Health). |
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Anita Tegta is Art & Culture Dept chief Shimla, February 4 |
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